


Blooming

by 111 (Insert)



Category: Saint Beast
Genre: Angst, Jealousy, Kissing, M/M, Manipulation, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24811015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insert/pseuds/111
Summary: Pandora has a use for Shiva.He tells himself that is the reason for them staying close like this, even though it becomes more and more of a lie with each coming day.
Relationships: Pandora/Shiva
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Blooming

**Author's Note:**

> Canon: This fic is Pandora/Shiva speedwriting that largely follows the beginning of episode 11 of Kouin Jojishi Tenshitan and is canon divergent from the rest of the franchise. The ‘purge’ in the series happens later so that Pandora and Shiva can hang out more. There's also some one-sided Shiva -> Judas and Pandora -> Zeus in the background.
> 
> Fruit: There are different methods irl for grafting plums, but I’m just being lazy because we’re in heaven.

\---

 _‘Ah, he really is pathetic,’_ Pandora thought to himself as Shiva hurried out of the great hall, his shadow casting a block of cold grey-blue over the pristine tiles. Each step echoed in this expansive space, indicative of such a blatant, _raw_ emotion that, frankly, didn’t belong in this sophisticated realm. _‘Honestly, acting as if Zeus-dono dared to make an_ error _when choosing only six of the candidates instead of seven… He’s lucky to have gotten off so easily.’_

Then again, maybe Shiva wasn’t lucky. After all, he had caught Pandora’s eyes, and, really, some matters couldn’t be stopped once they were put in motion. To a tactician like Pandora, a volatile angel could be useful, just as the humans below manipulated sulfur and niter to destroy their enemies.

Ignoring Shiva’s potential -- his, ah, _utility_ \-- would be unspeakably foolish now, and Pandora did not consider himself to be a fool.

Turning on his heel, he crossed an empty stretch of the floor. The intricately cut stones had lost their appeal to him so long ago, just as the subtle details of the vaulted ceiling, the fluted columns, and the delicately crafted windows had all faded to grey. And yet, he knew this place remained grand. He knew that he would always belong here, the very air electrified by Zeus’s own power, and he would secure its greatness still.

\---

With the Purge approaching, he had even more daily tasks than usual, and yet few things could have distracted him from the high-ranking angel crouched behind a pillar outside the great hall, as if that could _ever_ be considered a viable hiding spot.

Ah, Shiva…

“I-I’m not here to see _you_ ,” Shiva stuttered out, taking a step back. And, _really_ , it was too easy to shift the conversation, to shift their _actions_ , until he was gliding inside Shiva’s too-small room and taking a delicate seat on the edge of the bed. How that simple action made Shiva’s eyes widen was charming, in the same way that an idiot missing an obvious joke was ‘charming’.

Underlying the usual cedar-scent of the forest home was something sharp and artificial, Shiva’s assorted paint supplies the most likely culprit. In the wrong hands, such chemicals could become dangerous, or even poisonous. Human experiments with dyes, cleaners, and varnishes had led to the occasional death.

Painting was a very ‘human’ vice indeed, especially considering what Shiva’s favorite subject was. It was unnecessary for the other angel to reveal it. The darkness in his heart had always churned and thickened for Judas, the Kirin. 

Still, it was with a genuine amusement that he stared at Shiva’s painting, the protective cloth fluttering down to the floor. In feather-light strokes, an unfinished Judas posed with a determination blazing within the cobalt blue, although the painter was quick to conceal it again. All hurried movements. A blush in bold red and pink.

“I think your status doesn’t suit you,” Pandora said, staring at the uncertain, _hopeful_ glint in Shiva’s eyes. With clenched fists, Shiva waited for him to continue, the narrative here still under his perfected control. As it should be. As it was meant to be. “Shiva, if your goal is to get closer to him, then it’s not necessary for you to become one of the Six Saint Beasts. There are other ways to raise your status, such as by...becoming an official like myself.”

Those pink-red eyes went wide, vibrant as a sunrise cutting across a darkened landscape. 

“I… I hadn’t…”

In truth, the chemical smell had settled in too deeply, his fingers twitching in irritation, but he repressed such revealing displays. He focused on the task at hand: manipulating this ingredient here, primed as it was for a war in miniature. The Saint Beasts were too powerful like this, each poised to lead their beloved God astray. 

It was necessary to stay in Shiva’s room, coaxing him little by little. The spilled tea carried with it a wild fragrance, reminiscent of the crisp air over a mountain with the green valley spreading beneath. The ripe fruit in the bowl added a sweetness to it all, and, eventually, the stark chemical _bite_ was changed by these other elements. His irritation faded.

“...Why would you help me?” Shiva asked, dodging Pandora’s stare. “It’s not like...you’re gaining anything.”

Such honesty was like the taut string of an instrument, and Pandora -- stepping forward to take Shiva’s trembling hand and thread their fingers together -- felt his smile deepen.

\---

“...You’re _really_ going to recommend me to Zeus-dono?” was how Shiva greeted him the next morning, pointedly not moving out of the doorway and leveling a look that could generously be called ‘skeptical’ at him (in reality, the hope outshone such trepidation, because Shiva was far too eager).

“Oh? What have I done to cause such distrust?” Pandora answered, tilting his head to the side, and already cracks were forming in Shiva’s defense. Nervously, the angel stepped back, his eyes on the floor. 

“No, i-it’s just…” Steadying himself, Shiva dared to glance at him, the hope flaring. Spreading out. “You...really want to be friends?”

“Why, _yes_!”

“Because I’m a high-ranked angel?”

“Well, that’s only one factor,” Pandora purred, reaching for Shiva’s hand and clasping it with both of his own. He felt the tremor, the _surprise_ , and it encouraged him to step inside the forest home. The pale cloak of Zeus’s first council member swept over the cracked floorboards. A vivid contrast. “As I mentioned yesterday, I do find you rather...cute. Perhaps the feeling is mutual.”

Flinching hard, Shiva managed to loosen his grip, and Pandora laughed, bright and airy. The blush told him so much, as did Shiva’s unsteady voice. “I-Is that why you’re here? To ask me about...things like that?”

“Oh, no,” Pandora said, and he made a show of looking at Shiva’s meager belongings, the canvases in the corner in the process of being sanded down and then primed so that they could be used again. They had likely been failed attempts at capturing Judas’s beauty. Pandora cleared his throat. “The shrine is a bit of a mess, as I’m sure you’re aware of. I was simply looking for somewhere to clear my head, and I couldn’t help but think of our conversation from yesterday.” Smiling, he glanced over his shoulder, and Shiva kept the eye contact. “You enjoyed our conversation, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” Shiva responded, a bit stiff, and then he turned away to mess with the kettle. “Um, you never tried the tea from last time, but… No. No, this isn’t right…” Breaking off, he put down the kettle with a ‘bang’ of metal on wood, and Pandora’s eyebrows arched in interest. Shiva continued, almost biting the words off. “You’re an _official_ . You can have the rarest herbs, the best _everything_. Everything I’m doing is just insulting…”

“Shiva, really, I don’t take offense. After all, we’re supposed to be friends, aren’t we?”

“I should…” Suddenly, Shiva straightened, and his hands went out in a wild gesture, his fingers clipping the counter. “Pandora, do you, um, have to be back at the shrine soon? If not, then we could go somewhere. This room isn’t...suitable or anything like that, and I have an idea.”

“Oh? I should be free for another hour or so. My companion, Paul, will notify me if anything changes,” Pandora smoothly replied, and Shiva grinned, broad and cheerful and different. Incredibly different, the tension gone and his eyes gleaming. Pandora had meant to tease him, maybe even flirt a little just to gain an advantage, an edge. He had meant to say something else, but he didn’t.

\---

The trees lining the dirt path were heavy with ripe fruit. Under the pale blue sky, the leaves rippled in shades of emerald green, and when Shiva veered off the path and then muttered something about the new direction, Pandora followed him with a curious smile. The wild trees grew closely together, the shadows drawing in like thick curtains. Birds trilled out their songs overhead. 

“Do you normally take your friends to such secretive places?” Pandora asked, and although Shiva jumped, he did not turn around. 

“It’s not like that,” he mumbled. “Also… Nevermind.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t _sound_ like nothing,” Pandora observed, and Shin just kept walking, his shoes crunching over dried leaves, fallen pine cones, and small sticks. “Of course I’ll listen, if that’s what you desire.”

He had expected Shiva to stammer out a response or flinch again, but instead the angel just laughed, mocking and high-pitched. Shiva shook his head, his hair ornament catching the light that filtered through the dense leaves. It shone against the dark strands.

“I don’t have a lot of friends, especially not lately. Luca, Gou, and the others just scold me, and the low- and mid-ranked angels are complete morons who just... _parrot_ whatever the others say,” Shiva muttered. “Everyone knows I was fifth to the Holy Summit, and yet I was the only one there to be rejected.” Before Pandora could respond, Shiva continued ahead, waving over his shoulder. “We’re almost there. It’s not much further at all.”

Admittedly, Pandora’s legs _were_ tired, a sign of his body’s continued fragility. The hem of his cloak had been marred by the cold dirt, the pattern like that left behind by a carelessly dragged paint brush, and sweat beaded on his skin. He had a reason for doing this, and yet, at that moment, it seemed wholly irrational. Shiva only rushed further ahead (such an obvious fool) before turning on one heel. He waited with earnest eyes, the breeze toying with the longest sections of his hair and tossing the ornament. Such details shouldn’t have mattered.

Stepping out of the forest grove, Pandora -- his chest heaving slightly from the walk, his vision blurred at the edges -- found himself surrounded by a wealth of green and blue, the hillside leading down to the festival grounds and allowing a wide view of Zeus’s paradise. Lakes glittered in the distance. The vertical bar of the Holy Summit punctured a ring of grey-purple clouds. Vibrant leaves in sapphire blue from rare cultivated trees clashed with those of yellow cypresses, and the scent of the earth pushed in, pungent and raw in a way so unlike the carefully pruned plants of the shrine. Or the orchids in his own chambers, their roots dangling through the intricate vases in hand-blown glass.

The grass below his feet was threaded with clumps of moss and patches of clover. His sandals were thin enough that he could feel how soft the ground had become, almost plush. 

“I’ll be right back!” Shiva shouted, taking off at a full run for the forest again, and Pandora blinked at his retreating back, the maroon fabric of his outfit soon melding with the shadows. 

_‘Try not to get lost,’_ he thought to himself. Considering Shiva’s, ah, preoccupation with Judas, there was a high probability of him sinking into the Dark Forest at any moment. Which would mean that Pandora would have to walk back by himself. 

It was fine, in theory. 

Although having someone to lean on or even carry him back _would_ be nice.

Sighing, he sat down in the forked shadow of a gnarled tree and picked absently at some clover, the green intersected with bands of white. Why was it that Shiva had brought him here? Yes, it was far away from the usual homes and workplaces of the other angels, but with an entire side of the hillside open like this, it could hardly be called ‘secluded’. 

One thing was certain -- it was still _warm_. Undoing the clasp on his cloak, he spread it below like a blanket to protect the thin chiffon layers of his white robe from the grass. Seated again, he hugged his knees to his chest, staring out at the splendor of Zeus’s paradise. It was shared by so many others. Too many.

Shiva emerged from the forest with all the grace of a spooked horse ramming its way through a farmer’s fence, almost tripping over his own feet as he cradled _something_ in his arms. Falling out of his place, he hair had become wild, the thin strands shifting endlessly. Dropping to Pandora’s side, Shiva held out half of his treasure -- a plum, a deep scarlet globe. 

“Tell me what you think,” he declared, his face flushed a rose pink, and when Pandora took it carefully, Shiva _beamed_. “That fuzzy texture is annoying because it sort of, um, sticks to your hands, but that means it’s done. Plus there’s the smell.”

“It is very sweet.” Pandora had meant the gesture, as in ‘obviously, amusingly sweet’, but Shiva just sat down on the ground, his smile only widening. 

“No one else knows about this tree. Well, I mean, that _must_ be it because otherwise all the fruit would be gone,” Shiva babbled while wiping his plum on his sleeve. “Since you’re always at the shrine, I thought that, um, this would be the best thing I could offer you. It sounds weird, but the flavour fades really quickly. I… N-Not to overstep, but I don’t think you would have anything like this at the shrine, so… Um. Yeah.”

“I suppose there’s only one way to test that,” Pandora said, amused, and Shiva looked away to take his first bite. The skin was, as reported, sticky, the feeling clinging to his palm, and then Pandora broke it with his front teeth, the juice spilling out and-

No, Shiva hadn’t been exaggerating at all.

As an official, Pandora had tasted the sweetest juices and syrups that all of Heaven could offer, more than a drop enough to overwhelm even the senses of an angel. He knew how the most skilled workers in the shrine could delicately weave flavours together, all for the honour of their ruler, and yet-

And _yet_ the burst of flavour had caught him off guard, his fingers trembling as drops of juice slid down them and beaded over his palm. The flesh of the plum was soft, the taste muted compared to that of the skin, and he chewed it softly, his gaze on the fruit that he held. It was marred only by the bitemark in its side. Deep enough to expose the pit.

“Ah, you have a bit-” Shiva trailed off, one of his hands outstretched as if to brush Pandora’s chin. But he didn’t. Instead, his fingers curled in, the bright colour of his wide eyes matched by his blush. It only deepened when Pandora used his free hand to feel along his bottom lip for the droplet of juice. He licked it away, and if it was possible for _any_ blush to stain the skin, then it would have to be that intense streak of red across Shiva’s face. 

Something like triumph turned in Pandora’s chest, and he stared back, enjoying each and every flicker of emotion in that captivated expression. 

This was so _very_ easy.

“You’re so kind to me,” Pandora stated, and Shiva bristled before scooting away on the grass. His pupils were wide, two black pools amongst the maze of pink-red.

“I mean… I-I just don’t want you to be bored because of me. What’s the point in offering you tea? It’s...meaningless,” Shiva mumbled, and he flinched when Pandora took another bite, his tongue chasing after the stray drops. Under his lashes, Pandora watched it all. 

“Well, I’m certainly not bored.”

“Yeah…” After fidgeting with his high collar, Shiva then made a point of inhaling his own plum, minus the pit. He tossed it back into the forest. “I tried taking some back to my house, and the flavour faded away after about ten minutes. So, um, you shouldn’t...take too long.”

“Hm. Is the pit poisonous?” Pandora asked, and at Shiva’s confused look, he continued. “While it may not be fatal on its own, the pits of human fruits can carry dangerous chemicals.”

“I...don’t know. I always just throw them away,” Shiva answered while looking at what little was now left of Pandora’s own fruit. The shard of the pit lay within the folds of yellow-red flesh. It was something potentially deadly within a place of temptation. Removing it, Pandora tossed it over his shoulder, Shiva following the motion and then blinking down at the ground, as if he was unsure of where to let his eyes rest.

The remainder of the plum was intoxicatingly sweet, and Pandora licked the juice off his palm.

“The aftertaste is quite strong. Don’t you agree?” Pandora asked. Shiva hesitated, and the wind pulsed, letting the green splayed around them ripple. That same wind played with Shiva's bangs, which really shouldn't have been so long. They tried to obscure such interesting things, like the exact shade of those captivated irises. 

"Yes, but it doesn't stay for very long. I can barely taste it," he admitted, his artist's fingers curled in the grass below. Pandora leaned closer to him. Even just _that_ action had a visible reaction, Shiva's jaw clenching a little. Only a little, and then it eased. 

Pandora did not need a mind-reading ability to understand each and every strand of thought tangled inside Shiva's skull. He knew exactly why Shiva's blush darkened, the thin shoulder-strap of Pandora's simple robe close to falling down. The deep plunge of the neckline bared much of his chest, and Shiva -- rigid underneath those stretches of thick red and black fabric -- held himself so carefully. So still.

Of course Shiva happened to be beautiful. As a high-ranking angel, the smooth planes of his face were marks of his status. The captivating angle of his jaw led to a thin neck, only a sliver of skin visible above that high collar. It made perfect sense why each fragment of his irises carried with it an echo of something graceful and elusive, and it made perfect sense why Pandora -- the one who would direct the potential he found here -- reached out to take Shiva’s hand. 

Shiva loved Judas. And such loneliness could be used to create loyalty.

"Would you like to taste it again?" Pandora asked, and Shiva blinked at him. Those captured fingers shook. 

"P-Pandora?"

"Please, don't feel pressured," he whispered, his grip loose, only a suggestion. "This has nothing to do with my recommendation. Only… Well, friends can imitate the actions of lovers, if you would like to try."

The sounds of the forest tried to intrude -- birds calling out, insects buzzing to each other, and the ever-present wind whistling softly. Shiva stared back at him, all emotion revealed. Those long, delicate fingers slowly moved, burrowing deeper into his embrace, because Shiva had made a decision. He grappled with the words for it, sure, but the decision had been made. The power of inevitably hung over them both, each passing second falling exactly where it was destined to. 

Much like the plum that he had considered in his palm, Shiva was something close and beautiful. Pandora let his gaze drop to Shiva's parted lips. Those fingers trembled. Like his own, they were sticky and marked so very slightly with purple-blue. 

Shiva nodded, and then he ducked his head, the tip of his nose sliding down the bridge of Pandora's own. Pandora completed it. He found the perfect angle immediately, his lips parting while his shaking, desperate partner leaned into the contact and let him control the pace. Which he did. He coaxed Shiva to press in harder. He let the growing heat reach a new height, a dizzying feeling when combined with the sweetness of the fruit that threatened to drown them both. To make all of their obligations and worries and _thoughts_ vanish below the force of this new pressure. 

Shiva's kiss was hopelessly honest in its innocence. It broke with a gasp from Shiva, his eyelashes framing the red-pink of his memorized gaze. It was a colour that had never been achieved by the artisans who assembled stained glass windows to honour Zeus. No rare flower brought in as tribute had ever carried that exact shade. The sweetness on Pandora's tongue had not faded, even though it should have.

It absolutely should have.

He rarely moved without reason. He worshipped the fall of Zeus's shadow, just as he was devoted to ridding that divine gaze of all distractions. Therefore, capturing Shiva was necessary. To secure niter was necessary for a bomb. A sword needed its steel. Divine amulets were made from only the rarest minerals from the earth. 

Tilting his chin back, Pandora kissed Shiva again, and, this time, he took even more of the lead. He took more of this beautiful, lovesick angel, and the next slide of those eager lips was itself a paradise.

\---

"What did you do?"

"That certainly is an open-ended question," Pandora replied, and Cassandra just scowled in response, which meant that the matter would not be handled quickly. Closing the scroll he had been reviewing for their lord, Pandora leaned back in his seat, Paul bouncing on his shoulder. "I apologize if my silence seems impolite, but I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"He's brought flowers for you," Cassandra stated, awkward, and Pandora shouldn't have laughed so hard. He stifled the sound with one hand, Paul making a confused 'meep'. 

"Oh. Well, I can hopefully spare some time soon to take care of that."

"... Right," Cassandra said before stepping away from the desk. The sun had shifted to its highest position by the time Pandora finally completed his most urgent tasks and started across the great hall, his feet soundless over the stone and his light robes sweeping out with every step. The kiss had only been yesterday. A call from Paul had pulled him back to the shrine.

Under the high ceilings of the great hall, there again was Shiva -- pale, nervous, and clutching a thin collection of white-pink flowers to his chest. The biting chemical scent clung to him ever now, flecks of red and blue paint trailing down the slopes of his knuckles. Their eyes met. 

"I take it that you were just out for a walk," Pandora said, and Shiva blushed. 

"No, I wanted to give you this."

"A bouquet?"

He shook his head, and, with a genuine curiosity, Pandora watched as he carefully adjusted the flowers, which were framing three fragile branches instead of stems. "Since you liked the fruit so much, I thought that, uh, maybe you could graft some of the plum tree onto one of the trees by the shrine. That way, you could still have that type of fruit, even when you're working here."

"Graft?"

"...Oh! Um." Shiva paused, his eyebrows bunching together. "It's when you take the buds from one tree and attach them to another tree. That allows you to have different fruit growing together. ...I had to help with fruit preparation for one of the festivals. Although, um, the graft might not work, since the plum tree grows strangely…”

“It’s the thought that counts,” Pandora replied, and when he held out one hand, Shiva gave him the branches. While most of the buds had begun to open, the petals peering out, some remained closed. The ends of the branches were wrapped in scraps of dark cloth, and such an endeavour would have taken time. Time to hike to the tree. Time to harvest the branches. Time to wait for Pandora to finish with his work. “Thank you for this gift, Shiva.”

“Like I said, it might not even work, so…”

“I’ll find our caretaker. Perhaps his knowledge will bring new life to your present. Although, unfortunately, I really must return to my duties.”

“R-Right. I understand,” Shiva hurriedly replied, and he had already taken two steps away before Pandora could continue. With a light touch, he traced the shape of one full blossom. 

“At sunset, I should have some time, if you would like to return then. I really would like to thank you properly for a gesture like this.”

“O-Oh. Sure!” Shiva blurted out, the sound echoing loudly enough that he went red. “I’ll..be there! Here. Um, I should go.” Bowing, he turned on his heel and ran through the double-doors. On Pandora’s shoulder, Paul made the simple comment of, “He is a very earnest person.”

“Indeed,” Pandora replied. If Zeus disapproved, then the ruler of Heaven would have already issued punishment, as Pandora was hardly hiding his new connection with Shiva. Considering how _blatant_ Shiva’s infatuation with Judas was, any new relationship would likely be viewed positively, as it could possibly temper or at least _control_ the volatile nature of that one-sided love.

A deeper manipulation could be so effortlessly concealed, and, after examining the luster of the petals against the dull, cracked bark, Pandora quickly strode back to his desk. When he called for the caretaker, the other angel quickly appeared and took the branches away, swearing to cultivate them as best he could.

Even after he had left, a faint scent from the blossoms lingered. It lingered for a long time.

An unnaturally long time.

\---

With orange and red cutting across the growing darkness of the sky, he found Shiva sitting on the edge of a stone wall and glaring at a group of angels lounging on the grass. One red-headed angel was lying on his back with his arms thrown out, the top of his outfit pulled down to absorb the last rays from the sun. Another angel looked on in disapproval, the bird on his shoulder squawking loudly before biting at his ear. The third member of their group was wrapped in a thick traveling cloak, as if to offset how naked the first angel was, and he frowned down at an ancient tome, the pages glittering with runes. In the few steps it took for Pandora to reach Shiva’s side, the bird had somehow managed to startle the reading angel, who had then dropped his book onto the red-haired angel’s stomach, and the chaotic yelling and flailing was enough to make Shiva wrinkle his nose in annoyance. 

“Typical. Those morons couldn’t be trusted to pick apples properly. They’re a total disgrace,” Shiva muttered under his breath, and when Pandora chuckled, he almost fell off. “P-Pandora. I…”

“Friends of yours?” Pandora asked with a knowing grin, and Shiva lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes and most of his embarrassed look. 

“No way. I don’t need anyone like that.”

“Hm. So, you prefer my company instead?” 

“Y-Yeah. You’re always so calm. There’s no way that Zeus-dono was mistaken in choosing you,” Shiva stated, and the bloom of pride that Pandora felt could not be denied. It made his throat feel tight, his next words hushed.

“Since you were kind enough to show me around your room, it’s only right if I do the same. Would you be interested in that, Shiva?”

“Are...you sure?”

"I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't sure," Pandora clarified, and he saw how Shiva steadied himself. For a beat, silence reigned between them, the shouts and laughs from around them becoming distant. Details caught Pandora's keen eyes: the flecks of dried blue paint on Shiva's sleeve, the mud clinging to his trousers, the elegant shapes of his crooked, tensed fingers. 

"I'll go with you," Shiva declared, and Pandora smiled back at him before letting their fingers tangle together. 

\---

When they crossed the threshold to Pandora's chambers, Shiva gasped and then stumbled ahead, absently pulling Pandora with him to the center of the main room. That made it a bit, well, _awkward_ for Pandora to reach back for the door, but he managed. Paul darted down his arm before jumping onto the floor, his tag wagging behind him.

"It's _beautiful_ ," Shiva declared, his eyes wide as he tilted his head back. The vaulted ceiling had been painted, the borders decorated with gold. "...Wow. I knew an official would be treated well, but this is…"

"More than you were expecting?" Pandora replied, squeezing his hand, and Shiva whirled around, all composure _gone_ and his fingers warm, noticeably so. Paul's claws clicked against the tile as he hurried away to nap, and the noise made Shiva bristle. His gaze passed over everything again, the sculptures in the corner holding his attention for the longest. 

"It suits you. This room, I mean. It's elegant and...careful. The design is balanced and not like how other angels, you know, just _throw_ stuff together. It's wonderful here," Shiva explained quickly, and, again, Pandora felt his throat tightened, the warmth of Shiva's skin combining with the sweetness of those words. He was charmed. This artless, _stupid_ angel was charming him, and-

After shaking his head, Pandora put on a welcoming smile. "You're flattering me, but I thank you all the same. Shall we have some food in the other room?"

“Sure…” Shiva answered, and he followed Pandora through the archway to the left, the dining table laid out in front of two tall windows facing the shrine’s gardens. “It’s set for two.”

“Hm?”

“The table,” Shiva clarified, stopping by one of the high-backed chairs and motioning down at the neatly arranged plates and cups. All were in crystal. When Pandora laughed, Shiva glanced up again, his face boyish and soft in the fading light of the day.

“I'll confess. I was hoping that you would join me here, so I planned ahead.”

“...Oh. Of course,” Shiva said, and then he pulled the chair out, shaking his head as he did. “You really plan for everything, don’t you?”

Pandora only grinned at that, smoothing out the tablecloth with his hands. The spread was simple at a glance -- dried fruit, nuts, delicate slices of vegetables -- but it was all of the highest quality. Although- “I’m afraid that nothing here will have the same flavour as the plums from that tree, but I hope you will enjoy yourself regardless.”

“T-Thank you,” Shiva replied, and he waited until Pandora had reached for a plate before beginning himself. “It all looks so good. Status...really is important.” Those words had been mumbled unthinkingly, and Pandora could guess that glimpses of Shiva’s own meager kitchen were flashing through his mind. Even high-ranking angels weren’t drenched in riches, after all. 

When Shiva continued to frown and absently poke at his food, Pandora decided that he should intervene. The point of having dinner _was_ to chat, after all. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to find that tree in the first place?”

At first, Shiva only blinked at him, and then those shoulders tensed. “It’s embarrassing, but friends are supposed to tell each other things like that.”

“Perhaps, but you also don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want to."

“No, it’s fine. Everyone already knows that I feel so…” Shiva quickly changed the subject, his hands balled together in his lap. “Last season, I heard that Judas was going to train in this clearing deep in the forest. I...tried to follow him, but he was too fast, and I was lost for hours. That's how I found the tree."

"I see," Pandora said, Paul climbing his knee with a little warble. 

"It's so _unfair_ . Judas deserves to be one of the Saint Beasts, of course, but then weaklings like _Shin_ get to be around him when I… I proved myself at the Holy Summit. Well, I _thought_ I had, and yet Judas is even further away from me than before the trial!"

Pandora nodded, and Shiva -- eyes flashing like a sunrise at its most vivid -- continued. Such little encouragement was needed, now that they were on Shiva's favorite subject: Judas. 

Ah, _Judas_. A hero with a strong heart. And someone who had now become so...inconvenient. 

"He should be a leader, since no one else has an aura like that. Being around him is like… It's like everything else in the universe is gone except him. He's so _bright_."

It shouldn't have been surprising for Shiva to speak so quickly and so _constantly_ about the object of his misguided love, especially when Pandora's entire plan _relied_ on the ugly reality of those emotions. No, it shouldn't have been surprising for Shiva to let Judas's name roll off his tongue like that, like the start of some sacrilegious _prayer_ or practiced confession, and yet Paul still 'meeped' and blinked at Pandora when his jaw tightened, a sign that his reaction was becoming too visible. Not that Shiva noticed. 

Shiva talked of nothing but Judas until all the stars were out, a puzzle of distant white gems against the deep cloth of the midnight sky. Shocked by the late hour, Shiva had ran from the room after bowing deeply, clasping Pandora's hand, and stuttering through an apology for how "impolite" he had been. It had been an artless, simple response without a hint of sophistry. Shiva's embarrassed blush had complimented his eyes, just as all those other blushes before it had. 

"Are you feeling tired?" was what Paul asked him once they were alone, the space around them cold and suddenly so vast.

"No more than usual," he muttered before running an idle hand over his companion's ears. “Please, don’t worry yourself over me.”

Paul knew that his words were hollow. They were connected by blood, after all.

The words had rung hollow. A bitter jealousy remained inside him, like a poison first concealed by something sweeter. 

\---

Of course he met Shiva again, almost on a daily basis since that first dinner by the garden window. They talked of the shrine and its many festivals, Shiva always cringing when he recalled ‘helping’ to set them up. The tasks never suited him at all, and, indeed, it _did_ seem cruel to always assign this temperamental-but-straightforward artist things like fencemaking, vegetable picking, and, on more than one occasion, dishwashing. Whenever he described those events, Shiva would spin in place, throw his arms out, and talk without even a _hint_ of restraint, and Pandora-

Pandora had a use for Shiva. 

He told himself that was the reason for them staying close like this, even though it became more and more of a lie with each coming day. 

\---

"That should be all for today," Cassandra declared with a sharp nod, and Pandora, rising from his desk, put on what should have been a polite smile. Paul, tail swishing happily, nuzzled at his cheek. It was a reminder that, yes, he had a guest waiting for him outside his rooms. Not that he could have forgotten. 

"Yes. I suppose we'll pick the matter up again tomorrow, following the advice of our Lord."

"Hm. True," Cassandra drawled before gliding out of the room, and it should have been embarrassing, how quickly Pandora organized the scrolls on his desk before making his way to the top floor. Earlier, he had requested for a bottle of chilled wine to be brought to his dining room, and as long as the conversation didn't linger on a certain rebellious angel, then the night would be...interesting. Shiva's blurted-out observations would make him laugh. Sometimes they would hold hands, fingers tangled over the tablecloth. Sometimes Shiva would kiss him goodnight.

Friends, not lovers. 

Yes, they could play the games of lovers, but they could never _be_ actual lovers, considering Shiva's fixation. And, besides, Pandora didn't want that. 

He didn't. 

This was only part of a plan. He told himself that, starting down the last stretch of the wide, echoing corridor, and he could see Shiva waiting for him with a shy smile, like the glint of the morning sun. At Shiva's side was a wrapped canvas, those fingers dancing nervously over one corner, and Paul scampered down Pandora's arm and then jumped on the floor. Tail swishing faster, the little creature sniffed at the canvas, and Shiva's smile brightened.

"Hm? Is it a special occasion?" Paul asked, and when Shiva glanced at Pandora, it felt significant. It felt far stronger than it should have.

"No, but what kind of painter am I if I don't use my brushes?" Shiva replied, and then he cleared his throat, their eyes meeting. "I, uh, hope it's okay. If you end up liking it, then you can have it as a gift. But… I mean, don't just say _yes_ for my sake."

"I can be _quite_ the art critic," Pandora said with a wink, and Shiva choked. "How exciting. Let's go inside and begin the viewing."

"It's...not much of a viewing if there's only one painting…"

"Then you'll have to paint more for me in the future."

Embarrassed, Shiva just muttered something to himself, and Pandora gladly led him into the main room. Paul scampered off somewhere, the click-click-click of those tiny claws fading, and that just left-

That just left _them_ , Shiva less than an arm-length away and awkwardly toying with the covering. A light blush dusted his cheekbones, and Pandora knew that it could become so much more interesting than that. 

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"Yeah… I'll… Sure," was what Shiva decided on, and then he yanked down on the cloth, balancing the canvas for a moment using one arm and his knee. With the barrier down, the composition was revealed. The colours reached him. 

The painting was of a valley under a morning light, the _burst_ of those expertly rendered greens and yellows making the room suddenly pale, its luster stolen away. Flowers in purple and red bordered the landscape, all reaching up towards the iridescent blue. The brushstrokes were rough in places, but each one perfectly captured the _feeling_ of being there, of staring out at a living, breathing world.

"It's so considerate of you to keep bringing me these parts of nature. Really, I can't find the words to thank you." And he hadn't been lying, not at all. 

The depth of this feeling had become terrifying. His hands _shook_ from the intensity, like it was one effect of this devastating poison.

Shiva. Shiva -- this foolish angel with no common sense and a raw heart -- was unspeakably dangerous, and Pandora should have smoothly led him away. He could have feigned exhaustion, and Shiva would have left. The relationship could have turned more business-like from that point, as it would be between coworkers. Pandora could adapt his plan to suit the new dynamic. And yet-

And yet his heart jumped when Shiva gently leaned the painting against the wall and then stepped forward, a determination etched into those boyish features. Shiva wanted to kiss him, even if he was also too painfully shy to just _say it_. 

"I...feel that we should be honest about where our hearts lie," Pandora heard himself state so calmly, and Shiva stopped, waiting for him to continue. "Yours is attached to Judas, and mine has been given to our Lord. Those realities won't change, even if our friendship...deepens.”

“I know, and I won’t forget that,” Shiva stated, something making his voice tremble towards the end. An emotion that Pandora couldn’t identify so easily, his mind clouded by the force of _this_. “Turn me away if it’s a problem. But if it’s not, then…”

“You can kiss me.”

“I-”

“I,” Pandora began, taking a pointed step closer and reaching out to toy with Shiva’s collar, “would like it very much if you decided to kiss me, Shiva.”

And -- slowly, as if a single breath drawn too quickly would destroy _everything_ in an instant -- Shiva did lean towards him. Because of how Shiva always worried his bottom lip with his teeth, it was uneven and chapped, and yet the first slide of their mouths together was effortlessly smooth, a sweetness rushing in and-

Pandora's heart wanted to burst. He clutched at Shiva's sleeves, forcing him in even closer, Shiva's tongue hesitantly brushing his own before _staying_ there. This escalation made no sense. The heady, drunken rush of this kiss was illogical, but it was very real regardless. Shiva pushed more and more into the contact, clumsy but _here_ all the same, and Pandora wanted everything he could offer. A greedy impulse made his hands clench, and Shiva's were trembling hard over his shoulders. 

"P-Pandora…" was what Shiva then mumbled against his lips, soft like a confession made only to the vastness of a lonely night. A shy red streaked his pale skin, his bangs falling freely over his eyes, and Pandora surged forward. He started their next kiss. He pulled Shiva into this dance, their mouths shifting together with so many delicate touches and sounds. When Shiva's fingers spread over his shoulders and then continued down his back, Pandora responded quickly. He yanked down the straps of his white robe, and it fell to the floor.

He could feel how Shiva gasped, his chest moving back sharply and the air rushing inbetween his parted lips. Those eyes were taking him in, just as Pandora himself was indulging in the silken fall of Shiva's hair, loose except for that one section in the front. The ornament was cold against his palm, and his fingers flitted over the design. 

"You're really okay with this?" Shiva asked him, the angel who had just _stripped_ down to nothing but his underwear and a pair of sandals.

"Oh, I'm certainly okay,” he rasped. He plucked at the clasps on Shiva’s collar, testing them but not opening them. “The question is, are _you_ okay?”

“I’m dreaming,” was what Shiva said in a rush, and then he was _everywhere_ , initiating a kiss that made Pandora’s legs go weak and the frenzied warmth of that night only rise. Those hands were on his back, tracing the skin there with a touch both gentle and anything _but_ , and- Senseless as it was, Pandora tried to control the kiss, even if it was for only the thrill of letting that same control crumble into nothing. With clawed fingers, he pulled Shiva into the bedroom. A vase fell over, shattering _somewhere_ , and although Shiva stiffened, like a reflex that made him surface from the depth of _this_ , he only kissed Pandora even harder. With a frustrated hiss, he pulled back, Pandora’s legs bumping the end of the bed, and then Shiva started on his too-high collar. The way he _tore_ at it was inelegant. Crazed. Desperate.

The night was already bathed in the red of this lust, captured so wonderfully in the blush that warmed Shiva’s face and the scarlet slashes against the pinks of his irises. When Pandora put a hand over Shiva’s chest, the bare skin there smooth, he could _feel_ how hurried those breaths were. He could track the hammer-beat of Shiva’s heart.

“Are you still dreaming?” he asked, taunting, and Shiva met his stare. Freckles dashed Shiva's skin, like bits of copper over sandstone. 

"I know that I'm not really dreaming, and yet… It's how I feel," Shiva answered, Pandora's curious touch continuing down to his high-waisted trousers before skirting back up again, and each breath Shiva took made his chest jump up, the shape of his ribcage fascinating in its symmetry. And it was almost cruel, how easily Pandora's hands fit alongside his waist. "If this was a dream, then I...wouldn't want to wake up. I'd want to stay here, with you."

"Hm. Well, I'd also like that. Very, _very_ much."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Please."

They kissed, and Pandora pulled Shiva further and further down, splaying him over the soft bed. The contact turned ravenous, the silence of the night undercut by those many eager moans and muttered words, and the red that Pandora saw could only be the colour of temptation. Shiva's gaze had hypnotized him. Each flustered reaction had led him more and more astray.

And -- with the power of something inevitable, of an impulse that shattered through his layers of self-control -- Pandora let himself become lost, Shiva the beautiful angel under him who was so, so quickly becoming unspeakably dangerous. The poison of his lips had become addictive.

\---

No, Pandora did not like to consider himself a fool. And yet, the next morning the familiar hills and valleys of his slept-in sheets were _different_ because Shiva was there. Shiva was sleeping next to him, the masterworks of the shrine useless and ugly compared to his relaxed features. Coal-dark eyelashes. The curve of his bottom lip a sin. His shoulders were bare, the faint lattice in pale red over his back from Pandora's nails. 

Premonitions were usually given to other angels. His abilities lay more in manipulation.

With an absolute certainty, Pandora knew -- he _knew_ despite the sleep-fog crowding his brain and the weird, bubbling fondness inside his chest -- that the first thing Shiva said would make him horribly jealous. Maybe it would even corrupt his heart as a permanent stain. A flaw that would only widen with time.

Still enveloped in dreams of his own, Shiva burrowed into the pillows and muttered a name. It sounded more like a prayer.

Judas.

\---

In the coming days, no one in all of Heaven was whispered about more or with the same gravity as Judas. Judas, the rebel. Judas, the betrayer. Judas, the radical soul.

Pandora wanted to tell himself that Shiva still factored into a grand plan. The reality was in stark contrast to such delusions. With the colours of this paradise gone for Shiva, his fall from grace became less of an abstract possibility and more of a constant. Judas was an outcast. Shiva wanted to be next to Judas, always. 

Judas, Judas, _Judas_.

And, eventually, it truly was that simple. Pandora strode into the great hall, received a scroll detailing how Shiva had left for the human world, and then went to his desk. Because he still had many duties to complete. Because the work of an official was never done, no matter how complicated those memories had become. That night, he took down the painting of the valley, and the room became cold.

Rumors quickly spread of the sole plum tree in the shrine’s orchard that produced a rare fruit on its lowest branches -- each fruit would look like a globe of red, like a ball of dark blood. With his high rank, Pandora could have had the tree isolated and guarded, the nectar kept for him alone as if the familiar taste would rework the memories. 

And yet, whenever he passed in front of the tree bearing its ripe treasure, he wanted nothing more than to break the branches off and crush the buds into nothing. He wanted to find the original tree in the depths of that forest, dig up its roots, and then let it all be reduced to only ash.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to my pals in the Dark Forest.


End file.
